Spring-loaded hinge pin



,Nov. 10, 1970 w. J. FIYELD 3,538,538

SPRING-LOADED HINGE PIN ,Filed July 29, .l968

29/ 27 f o *L-ls 0 IT I n William J. Field,

I "I" {if y Lyle G. Trorey,

Ag nt United States Patent O 3,538,538 SPRING-LOADED HINGE PIN William J. Field, 80 Mott Crescent, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada Filed July 29, 1968, Ser. No. 748,334 Int. Cl. E05f 1/12 U.S. Cl. 16189 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Replacement pin for converting ordinary hinge door to spring door. Spring activated lugs engaging leaves of hinge urging door opened or closed according to their placement. Pin passing through a helical spring and adapted for winding by rotating the pin, the lugs being urged by the wound spring.

' BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a spring-loaded hinge pin particularly adapted to be substituted for a hinge pin of a common door hinge, and constructed and arranged so that a door is normally spring-held in a closed position, the inventin also being adapted to effect that, upon a door being unlatched, it is spring-urged to an open position.

Spring hinges are well known and available in a variety of configurations, those used on common screen door being particularly well known. An ingenious spring hinge is described in U.S. Pat. 1,553,796 issued to Anderson in 1925. This provides a hinge which is normally spring-held in a closed position, and adapted to exert a closing force on the door, which force is constantor nearly soregardless as to whether the door is closed, or partially or completely opened. These and other well known devices are spring hinge assemblies to be used, in lieu of common hinges, where a spring closing or opening action is required.

The present invention distinguishes over the above, and over other prior art as known to the present inventor, in particular structure adapted to be used with common hinges replacing a hinge pin thereof with spring structure adapted for spring opening or closing as above.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a spring-loaded hinge pin assembly including, in combination, structure as follows. A pin, and a spring meanssuitably a helical springwith the pin extending centrally through the spring. An end spring engaging means is secured to the pin at one end, and a slidable spring engaging means has a central bore adapted for the pin to slide therethrough. A collar is releasably secured to the pin at an end remote from the end spring engaging means, the collar and the slidable spring engaging means being spaced according to the width of the hinge. The slidable spring engaging means has a hinge engaging means adapted to engage a first leaf of two leaves of the hinge, and the collar has a hinge engaging means adapted to engage a second leaf of the two leaves of the hinge. Means are provided manually to rotate the pin. The assembly is constructed and arranged so that, with the hinge leaves being hinged by the pin with both spring engaging means engaging the spring, and the hinge engaging means of the slidable spring engaging means engaging the first leaf, rotation of the pin winds the spring. Thus, when the collar is secured to the pin With the hinge engaging means thereof engaging the second leaf, the wound spring urges the door from an open position to a closed position, so that a door equipped with a spring-loaded hinge pin assembly according to the invention will close by itself. As is later explained, according to whether the hinge engaging means ice engage, respectively, inner or outer surfaces of the hinge leaves, structure according to the invention can either open or close the door, as desired.

The spring means is preferably a helical spring, with the spring engaging means being threaded elements adapted to engage inner convolutions of the spring so that the spring engaging menas are screwable into the spring. It is import-ant to note that, with this construction, when the engaging means are screwed into the spring, attempts to unscrew the spring engaging means tend to tighten convolutions of the spring against the threads. Thus, once the spring engaging means are screwed home, it is in a practical sense impossible to unscrew them. This provides positive means of securing ends of the spring to the securing means, with simple construction and ease of assembly.

The hinge engaging means of the collar and of the slidable spring engaging means are stout wire lugs, or hooks, secured in the collar and the slidable means. Each said lug has a portion spaced from and parallel to the pin so as to provide a bearing part engaging, respectively, opposite leaves of the spring, and has strength and rigidity such that the lugs, acting through a relatively short moment arm, are not strained when the door is opened or closed.

To effect strong and rigid attachment of the lugs, the collar and the slidable means are bevelled, the lugs having inner base portions passing through, and secured in, holes drilled generally normal to the bevels,

The spring-loaded hinge pin assembly is particularly adapted to convert an existing door installation with common hinges to a spring door. As is well known in the trade, hinges and hinge pins are of standard size and it is seen that no alteration in hanging, nor removal of existing standard hinges, is required-it being necessary only to substitute the spring-loaded hinge pin for the existing standard hinge pin.

The spring-loaded hinge pin assembly can be supplied at retail, assembled, or it can be supplied for assembly by a householder, which assembly is a simple matter. So far as a householder is concerned, his only cash outlay is cost of parts which he can readily assemble, and use to convert existing door installations.

The spring-loaded hinge pin assembly is not confined to replacement applications as aforesaid.

A further characteristic of the invention is that where it is desired, either temporarily or seasonally, reversion to a nonspring-closed or spring-opened door can readily be effected. This is performed by unwinding the spring without removing the assembly-and, upon the spring having been unwound, the hinge will function substantially as a normal hinge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a spring hinge pin assembly according to the invention, assembled to leaves of a common hinge, leaves of the hinge being in a position they would occupy secured to a door with the door fully open,

FIG. 2 shows the hinge pin and associated parts,

FIG. 3 is a hinge pin with the parts assembled,

FIG. 4 is a top plan of a collar,

FIG. 5 is a detail of a spring cover.

A detail description following related to the figures, de scribes preferred embodiment of the invention which, however, is capable of expression in structure other than that particularly described and illustrated.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Detail description related to FIGS. 1-5

In FIG. 1, the spring hinge pin assembly is designated generally 10, being here shown assembled to a left leaf 11 and a right leaf 12 of a pair of common butt hinges. One

leaf secured to a door frame and the other secured to a door, in an ordinary manner, the hinges are shown in a position they would occupy were the door fully, i.e. 180, open.

In FIG. 2, the hinge pin itself is designated 13, and has an outside diameter according to that of a pin supplied with the hinge. Hinge pin diameters and lengths are standardized, the pin 13 having an outside diameter according to that of the standard pin and being of length as later particularized.

The pin 13 extends centrally through a helical spring means 14, a lower spring engaging means 15 being secured to the pin 13 at a lower end thereof. The said engaging means has threads 16 as shown, and an unthreaded shank 17 of outside diameter about equal to the root diameter of the threads. The helical spring 14 has an inside diameter such that inner surfaces of convolutions of the spring engage the threads 16, the inside diameter being substantially that of the diameter of the shank 17 aforesaid so that the spring can pass thereover. The lower spring engaging means has a central bore suitably a push or press fit to the outside diameter of the pin 13, and is permanently secured to the said pin, for instance by a transverse rivet as indicated at 17.1, and has a head 18 of outside diameter greater than that of the spring. A screwdriver slot 19 is formed in the head 18 as shown.

An upper spring engaging means 21 has a bevelled upper side wall 22 in which is secured a hinge engaging means 23. The upper engaging means is threaded as seen at 24 having a shank portion 25, the threaded and shank portions 24 and 25 being generally as described with respect to the threaded and shank portion 16 and 17 of the lower spring engaging means 15. The upper spring engaging means 21 has a central bore having an inside diameter such that the pin 13 is a sliding fit thereto. The upper spring engaging means can thus be designated as a slidable spring engaging means, to distinguish it from the lower spring engaging means which can be designated an end spring engaging means.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it is clear that the spring 14 can be screwed onto the threads 16 of the lower spring engaging means 15, and the upper spring engaging means 21 screwed into an upper end 14.2 of the said spring, the threads engaging inner convolutions of the spring, thus assembling the spring to both spring engaging means with the pin passing centrally through the spring.

Obviously the helical spring can be wound either as shown in FIG. 2, or oppositely. If oppositely wound, the threads 17, 25, are left hand, in lieu of right hand as shown, to be engageable of the inner convolutions of the spring.

FIG. shows a spring cover, being a hollow cylindrical element having an inside diameter such as to clear the spring and suitably being a push fit to the outside diameter of the head 18. Prior to assembling the spring to the upper and lower engaging means as described with reference to FIG. 2, the spring cover is placed in position over the spring after which the pin 13 with the lower means secured thereto is entered through the upper engaging means 21, and the upper and lower engaging means screwed into the spring so that the cover 31 is disposed as shown in FIG. 3 after the upper and lower elements have engaged the spring. In the FIG. 3 position, the cover is secured in position, for instance by punching as is seen at 33.

A collar 26 is releasably securable to an upper end of the pin 13 as seen in FIG. 3, that is at an end of the pin remote from the end (or lower) spring engaging means 21 aforesaid. The collar has a hinge engaging means 27 secured in a lower bevelled edge 28 of the collar, an Allen screw 29, in a threaded hole 29.1 being provided to secure the collar to the pin. FIG. 3 is an assembly of all of the parts of the spring hinge pin as supplied commercially, although the several parts indicated in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5 could be supplied separately for assembly by the purchaser.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, it is to be noted that the hinge engaging means 27 is disposed downwardly with the hinge engaging means 23 disposed upwardly. The pin 13 has a length such that, when the parts are assembled as shown in FIG. 3, the bevels 22 and 28, which are disposed facing one another, are spaced by a distance according to the width of the hinge.

OPERATION The spring hinge pin is particularly adapted to replace a standard hinge pin where it is required to convert a door to a spring-closed dooror to a door which is required to be maintained in a normally open position by the spring.

To install the pin, first the standard hinge pin is removed from a door as hung. In some hinges, one hinge leaf is provided with a stop, commonly a short stub having an outside diameter according to that of the standard pin secured, the stub terminating in a generally spherical knob. The stub may be a press fit to the hinge, or may be threaded thereto. If the stub is threaded, it is removed by unscrewing. If it is a press or push fit, it can be driven out by inserting the pin 13--the collar 26 having been removedin the hinge in the position occupied by the removed hinge pin, and driven out using the hinge pin 13 as a drift. The stop having been removed, the assembly 10, with the collar 26 removed is inserted in lieu of the standard pin in a position shown in FIG. 1 and the collar 26 placed as shown in FIG. 1.

In this position, with the Allen screw 29 untightened, a screwdriver is inserted in the slot 19 and turned counterclockwise. The hinge engaging means 23 will engage the left hand leaf 11 as shown in FIG. 1 so that rotation of the pin with the screwdriver will wind the spring.

An Allen screw wrench is (not shown) now inserted in the Allen screw 29 with the hinge engaging means 27 engaging the right hand leaf 12 as indicated in FIG. 1. The Allen screw is now tightened to an extent sufiicient to hold. If further winding is required, the pin is then further rotated by means of the screwdriver, consequently the collar 26 will rotate about one-half a turn until the means 27 reaches the left hand leaf 11. In this position, the Allen screw 29 is loosened, and the collar 26 rotated to reassume the FIG. 2 position. It is tobe understood that, depending upon the weight of the door, winding is to be an extent sufficient to close, and if required to latch, the door. Using an ordinary screwdriver it is difiicult to turn the pin more than about one-half a revolution without loosening ones grip. Consequently it is convenient to effect at least final winding in a maner as above. For convenience of illustration, FIG. 1 shows the hinge leaves in the position they would occupy were the door to be fully, that is to say open. Usually it is more convenient to effect winding with the door closed, the procedure then being substantially as above described.

Further explanation of the hinge engaging means 23 and 27 Referring to FIG. 2, it is seen that the engaging means 23 is shown with a base portion 23.1 extending substantially normal to the bevel 22 for a short distance, then extending substantially parallel to the pin 13 as seen at 23.2 so that the parallel portion is offset from the pin as shown forming a bearing part. The engaging means 27 is similar. In this way, each engaging means bears upon a flat portion of the leaf 12 as best seen in FIG. 1 at 23.2 and 27.2 In a common hinge, the right leaf 12 has a portion spaced from an adjacent portion of the leaf 11 as designated S in FIG. 1, with corresponding parts of the right leaf spaced from those of the left leaf as indicated at S. The offset aforesaid of both the means 23 and 27 is the same so that, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper hinge engaging means 27 rests upon a flat portion of the left portion of the left leaf 11 clear of the space S.

Obviously, the spring hinge pin can be used to urge the door so that it is normally in an open position, in which circumstance the sprng engaging means 23 and 27 would, when the door is closed, be disposed between the hinge leaves. Thus the spring hinge pin is adapted for the spring to urge the hinge leaves from a first position (for instance closed, or open)to a second position (for instance open, or closed) at an angle thereto.

The hinge engaging means 23 and 27 are preferably of steel wire of strength and rigidity, as has been explained, to exert a turning moment required to close or to open the door, as the case may be. Further, the said engaging means must be strongly secured in the bevels of the collar 26 and the means 21 respectively. The shanks 17 and 25 FIG. 2 can be dispensed with, with the threads extending to the full length of these members. The shank construction is preferred since this provides a guide to facilitate engagement of convolutions of the helical spring with the threads.

In lieu of the screwdriver slot 19 in the head FIG. 2, the head could be for instance a hexagonal nutin which case the nut would be external of a lower end of the cover 31, or the pin can be provided with a hexagonal opening to accept an Allen wrench, or other suitable means can be provided to rotate the pin 13, for winding the spring.

When the spring hinge pin has been in use for a time, it may be required to tighten in the spring by further winding, this can be accomplished as before described with respect to the initial winding. As well, the initial winding given may have been too great, loosening can obviously be effected by the reversal of the winding procedure. In some circumstances it may be required to disable the spring closing function without removing the spring hinge pin and replacing it with the original pin. This too can readily be effected by unwinding, after which the Allen screw 29 should again be tightened. With the spring untensioned, opening and closing of the door will not be materially restrained.

It is to be noted that, once the spring has been assembled to both threads, it is nearly impossible to release it by winding in a counter-clockwise direction because attempting to do so will tighten the spring upon the threads. The spring hinge pin can be inserted from the bottom of the hinge as shown in FIG. 1, or from the topwhich latter alternative is not shownand can be adapted either to provide spring closure of the door or spring opening once the door is unlatched.

What I claim is:

1. A spring-loaded hinge pin assembly for use with a hinge having two leaves adapted to be hinged to one another by the pin, the assembly including in combination,

(a) a pin (13) and spring means (14) the pin extending centrally through the spring means,

(b) an end spring engaging means (15) secured to the pin at one end thereof,

(c) a slidable spring engaging means (21) having a central bore such that the pin is a sliding fit thereto,

(d) a collar (26) and means (29) releasably securing the collar to the pin at an end thereof remote from the end spring engaging means aforesaid,

(e) the slidable spring engaging means having a hinge engaging means (23) adapted to engage a first leaf of the two leaves of the spring, and the collar having a hinge engaging means (27) adapted to engage the second leaf of the two leaves of the hinge,

(f) and means (19) manually to rotate the pin,

the combination being constructed and arranged so that, the leaves being hingedly secured as aforesaid with the end and slidable spring engaging means engaging the spring, and the hinge engaging means of the slidable spring engaging means engaging the first leaf, rotation of the pin winds the spring so that, upon the collar being'secured to the pin with the hinge engaging means thereof engaging the second leaf, the spring urges the leaves from a first position to a second position at an angle thereto,

(g) the spring means being a helical spring, and a spring engaging means (15) having threads (16) adapted to engage inner convolutions of the spring,

(h) the hinge engaging means (27) of the collar being disposed towards a hinge leaf and having a bearing part offset from and parallel to the pin, adapted to bear upon a fiat portion of the second leaf, with the hinge engaging means of the slidable spring engaging means having a similar offset bearing part (23.2) adapted to engage a flat portion of the first leaf,

(i) the collar and the slidable spring engaging means each having bevels (28, 22) the hinge engaging means each having a base portion (as 23.1) extending substantially normal of the bevel providing the ofl set.

2. A combination according to claim 1, and a shank (17) extending beyond the threads of the spring engaging means aforesaid, the shank having an outside diameter such that the spring can pass thereover.

3. A combination according to claim 1; the end spring engaging means (15) and the slidable spring engaging means (21) each having threads (16, 24) adapted to engage inner convolutions of the helical spring; and each said spring engaging means having a shank extending beyond the threads; the shanks being of outside diameter such that the spring can pass thereover; the collar and the slidable spring engaging means each having bevels (28, 22) the hinge engaging means each having a base portion (as 23.1) extending substantially normal of the bevel so as to provide the offset.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1909 Bommer l-6189 6/1953 Raskin 16l89 FOREIGN PATENTS 456,488 11/1928 Germany. 

